Overview
- Palayam Imam V. P. Suhaib Maulavi used his Friday sermon in Thiruvananthapuram to urge Muslims to welcome women and children arriving for the Attukal Pongala festival.
- He asked community members to open mosques and homes and to arrange drinking water, Ramadan food items, and places to rest for visiting devotees.
- Attukal Pongala, scheduled for March 3, is described as one of the world’s largest gatherings of women, drawing lakhs to the Kerala capital.
- Clips of the sermon spread widely on social media and drew praise across communities for highlighting Kerala’s tradition of religious solidarity.
- He framed the gesture as a practical show of fraternity to counter growing Islamophobia, with coverage noting the backdrop of the ‘Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond’ controversy.